


Ashes to Ashes

by j520j



Series: Azirafell, The Soft Demon [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angel Crowley (Good Omens), Blood and Violence, Crowley Loves Kids (Good Omens), Crowley is Raphael, Demon Aziraphale (Good Omens), Fist Fights, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Pre-Relationship, Reverse Omens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-01-30 02:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21420835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j520j/pseuds/j520j
Summary: Baron of Hell, Azirafell, has just received an important mission, but he doesn't like it at all: destroy the Library of Alexandria!
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Azirafell, The Soft Demon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1544242
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies in advance for my poor English.

**48 BC - Hell**

There are several fiefdoms in Hell, each ruled by demons of great power.

Hellish dukes possess the largest and most central territories, being among the most powerful of all demons and being personal friends of Lucifer himself. Marqueses come second and are delegated the responsibility to guard the borders of Hell for possible angelic threats. Counts and Viscounts are often very busy in their little internal wars in an attempt to seize each other's territory.

Lastly, we have the Barons. Their territories are too small to arouse the greed of the Counts and Viscounts. And in the eyes of the Marqueses and Dukes they are little more than ordinary demons. Their fiefs are usually the most stable and they are free to come and go from Earth anytime they want.

Baron Azirafell, the Owl of the Garden of Eden, received his noble title for his excellent work done in the early months of Creation. His prestige was great and his dedication to missions on Earth was always highly praised. As a Baron, he could send a footman to do the job for him, but he always made a point of completing the missions by himself.

And that was why the little demon Erigor worshiped his master. Since he was cast to be Azirafell's servant, the short, dark-haired man with the aquiline nose and red eyes spent most of his time in leisure. Only showing a minimum of servitude when the Baron returned.

“Ah, master! You’re back!” the little demon bowed. “Since I know you love human food very much, I have prepared some baked bread for you in the dining room.”

“Thank you, dear.” Azirafell was always very polite, perhaps too much, with his servant. Most infernal lords treated them like garbage. But the blond demon wasn’t comfortable treating anyone badly, even when it was an incompetent servant like Erigor. "Uh, when did you bring this bread from the Earth?"

"Four weeks ago, sir."

"I see." the blond demon watched sadly at the piece of crusty and musty bread that had been left on the table in his dining room. Big waste. "Thank you anyway. Now, if you'll allow me, I'd like to be a little alone. You’re free to go wherever you want. ”

"Of course sir! If you need me, just summon me!”

The red-eyed demon disappeared in a blast of smoke and fire. Azirafell frowned, whenever Erigor did this the floor was scorched.

Alone in his mansion, the demon took some papyrus, clay stones, wax tablets and other human-made objects from the leather bag he carried. These were relics of world literature, all very well preserved.

Even as a Baron, Azirafell had to be careful with those objects. Most demons had a great disregard for all that humans positively constructed - and literature was one of those things. Any kind of art that caused joy, satisfaction and dreams for mortals was considered something to be destroyed. Sacred texts, to begin with, were usually destroyed as soon as a demon set eyes on them.

But Azirafell was not like that. On the contrary, he loved literature. In his opinion books (or papyrus, or wax tablets, or clay plates, etc.) were the best thing humans invented. And he kept several literary titles fondly in his secret library in the mansion. A place not even his servant Erigor was allowed in.

However, one thing you learn fast in Hell is that you can't trust anyone. No one. As much as the short demon was friendly and seemed to really care about his master, Azirafell couldn’t trust him. One day he’d have to move his entire collection to a safer place, preferably on Earth.

"Let's see what we have here." the demon looked his new acquisitions with pride. “Hmmm, the copyist made some mistakes in this copy of the Iliad. And this clay plate of the twentieth chapter of the Gilgamesh saga is without a piece! Trickster! I knew twelve pounds was too light to hold the entire chapter! ”

“Baron Azirafell?”

_"Aaaahhh!"_ the demon dropped the clay plate and it shattered on the floor. He turned startled to his sneaky visitor. “Uh, l-lady Dagon! What... nice to see you! ”

"What's this?" the woman glanced at the broken object on the floor. "Are these scriptures made by mortals?"

“Err ... yes, this is, uh, a plan about building orphanages! Yes, I ... I was investigating to thwart their plans, this is it! After all, the more abandoned children on the streets, the better off for us, isn't it? ”

"Indeed. And speaking of mortal matters, we have a new mission for you.” Dagon didn't wait for Azirafell's invitation to lie on his divan. Luckily she didn't notice any more papyrus hidden in a box right under the furniture. “A mission that will be memorable! As prestigious as your work in the Garden.”

"Oh, that sounds interesting!" the demon adjusted his discreet crown of black laurels and dusted off his black cloak. “Please go on! I'm all ears!"

"Great! For the mission we will delegate to you is simple and straightforward: destroy the Library of Alexandria!”

..................

Azirafell was still recovering from the news. A new mission: the worst of all.

The shock was so great that he passed out shortly after Dagon gave him the assignment. The Countess of Hell seemed to believe that the reason was 'the thrill of the heady satisfaction of having received such an important mission', but the truth is that she, like other demons, was already accustomed to Azirafell's bursting strangers of emotion. He was known in Hell for being ‘too soft’, but the noble position the blond demon held protected him from most of the bullying he could receive for it.

_Destroy the Library of Alexandria?!?_ the thought had been coursing through his mind ever since he had left Hell to ‘study the terrain’ (as if he hadn’t visited the library hundreds of times in recent decades). _No... it's not possible! Why? Is it so important to Hell that humans are ignorant? But educated people can be mean too! No, no...! This cannot be happening! Do they really want to see that wonder of humanity turned to ashes?!_

_Ugh, of course they want! They are demons. I AM a demon!_

The port city of Alexandria was always bustling. Ships from across the Mediterranean and beyond came and went, loaded with people and cargo. It was the most important trading center of the region and also the knowledge capital. A hotly contested spot between Heaven and Hell. Whoever had power there would have power over much of humanity.

The construction was magnificent. A marble temple decorated with statues of great philosophers, historians and pagan deities of knowledge. Within its halls, thousands of papyri with most of the knowledge that mankind had ever produced before. Azirafell never tired of admiring this wonder, though he always had to visit her on the sly.

And to think that, by order of Hell, should disappear.

_No ... there must be a way to protect the library! _he thought as he climbed the marble steps of the staircase to the entrance of the monument_. This cannot happen! And above all, it cannot happen by my hand! What should I do? What-_

The demon's thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice called out to him enthusiastically.

“Azirafell!” a man emerged from the library. “Hey, Azirafell! Good to see you!"

"Crawly!" the demon's green and brown eyes widened. The angel wore a white tunic with golden brocades and a metal laurel wreath pinning his short red hair. He looked radiant and it made Azirafell blush. "Ah ... good to see you too."

"So, mate?" the angel put his arm around the demon's shoulders. He was always happy when he met the Baron of Hell, although he shouldn’t. After all, they were on opposite sides. “I figured I'd see you here at the Library! You always liked this pile of paper, didn't you?”

"Y-yes ...!" Azirafell looked down and began to rub his hands absently. “I'm… uh, passing through here in the city. I won't stay long. ”

“Pity! But I'm sure there is time for me to tempt you with a delicious _ful medame_ from Marak's kitchen! ”

"Temptations are my job, not yours!" the demon looked offended.

"But I seem to be much better at this than you!"

"Why you!" Azirafell snorted. "Well ... err ... let's see if this temptation will be worth it."

..............

The restaurants of the old Mediterranean were large, high-ceilinged, wallless halls with ornate columns and low tables. A large _ful medame_, served with wine and Greek appetizer _gyros,_ was set before Crawly and Azirafell. The angel drank while the demon ate, enjoying each bite with a sigh of satisfaction.

“Really, Marak knows how to do wonders with these vegetables!”

“Glad you enjoyed it!” the Principality looked happy. "I'm don’t eat much, but I figured this dish would please you."

“The next lunch will be on me! I know a cook in Cairo who makes wonderful _shawarmas_!”

“Tsk, I’d love to be with you, but I can't. I'm on a mission. ” the angel snorted. “A bloody boring mission!”

"What mission?"

"I was tasked with being the guardian of the Library of Alexandria," Crawly said, with obvious disgust in his voice. “I've been standing in the middle of that pile of paper for three months, ugh! When will they get another angel to stay in my place?”

If Azirafell hadn’t set the glass on the table a second before the angel gave that information a good deal of wine would have been spilled on the floor. _Crawly is the guardian of the library?!?_ the demon couldn't even hide his nervousness.

“Hmmm? What's up?” the angel raised an eyebrow at the blond's discomfort.

"Err ... n-nothing ... I just think your mission is ... peculiar."

"Haha, right? I mean, in Garden time they were like: 'You shall not eat from the tree of knowledge!' and today they are: 'Spread all the knowledge around in papyrus scrolls!' Heh, what a bunch of hypocrites! Also there are some papyri there with some controversial subjects that they prefer to be well kept! Like the one who says that Moses and Akhenaton are the same person. ”

"But they are, aren't they?"

“Yes, but they don't want anyone to know. Yet! They like to keep revealing the information slowly! For example, I learned that Gabriel will be tasked with a project in the Middle East to dictate some new holy scriptures to a prophet who will be born in six hundred years! Why not choose a prophet today and already reveal all they need to say now? What's the problem? Why is this schedule so slow? ”

"I imagine the reason that the schedule is so slow is ... ineffable!"

"Yeah, it must be." Crawly refilled his glass again. “And you, Zira? Are you on a mission here in Alexandria? ”

The demon didn't even know where to start feeling tense, whether it was the question about his mission or the angel using the affectionate nickname 'Zira'.

Since the Deluge, when Azirafell helped Crawly board some clandestine children on the Ark, the demon realized that his affection for the Principality went far beyond mere friendship. And this was very dangerous. For both him and the angel.

“Uh, so so. I was tasked with… of… uh. ” the demon really looked very uneasy.

“Hey, calm down! You don't have to tell me.”Crawly smiled. “I know you can get really in trouble if you keep telling alout things you shouldn't. I mean, I could get in trouble myself if they saw me fraternizing with you. ”

"It is true. But since you told me about your mission, I'll tell you about mine. Fair is fair.”

"Hehe, really, you're not very good at being a demon, are you?"

"No." Azirafell lowered his head. "I'm really useless."

"Hey, that's not what I meant." Crawly seemed to be worried about his friend's sadness.

“But is the truth! I am useless! For I will invariably fail in the mission they have given me. ”

"Want some help?"

It took a few seconds for Azirafell to understand the question. "Huh?!?" he looked incredulous. "Help? Are you offering to ... to help me complete a Hell given mission?! ”

"Why not?" the angel seemed unconcerned. "You are my friend! And friends help each other!”

_‘Friend’ ... ugh, ah, Crawly ... if you only knew!_

Azirafell said nothing and the Principality realized that this was a sign to change the subject. Clearing his throat, he began to talk about wine and food. The demon entered the conversation, but the thoughts inside his mind continued to race a thousand miles an hour. He still had a big problem on his hands and didn't know how to solve it.

Until an idea came to him.

"Crawly, are you ... are you really willing to help me on my mission?"

"Of course!" the angel seemed determined. “By the way, I owe you a big favor since the Deluge. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to save those kids. And I would still have lost my body in the process and would probably suffer another demotion.”

"Oh, that was nothing."

“It was a lot for the children we saved. And for me!” the angel put his hands on Azirafell's shoulder and looked at him with great admiration. “Ask for anything you want from me, Zira! I am at your disposal!"

The Baron of Hell's heart almost stopped after those words. He thanked the dimly lit room for helping to hide the redness of his cheeks.

“Well, first of all, I need to tell you what my mission is. I was tasked with destroying the Library of Alexandria. ”

Crawly's eyes widened. Their golden glow captivated the demon.

"Oh!" he finally managed to say. “So you want my help to be successful in this—?”

"No!" Azirafell interrupted him. “I want your help for me to fail the mission!”

"What?"

“Listen, I love literature and human knowledge! I love that library! But Hell wants to see it destroyed! However, they may change their minds! And for that, I need your help!”

"What do you want me to do?"

“If I know Lady Dagon well, she'll want to check if I'm doing a good job. Hell doesn't usually check these things out, but they need to see me do something. So here's my plan: tomorrow night I'll pretend to attack the library. I am in the company of my servant to have a witness. And you must be on standby!”

"Right. And then?"

"And then, as soon as I announce my attack, you should appear and attack me! With all your power!"

"Attack you?!" the angel's golden eyes were full of disbelief.

"Yes!" insisted Azirafell. “When I go to the library with my servant, you must attack me! Attack me with everything! Discorporate me if you must, because they need to understand the message that the library is guarded by a very powerful angel and should no longer be targeted.”

“Zira… no!” Crawley shook his head. “I can't hurt you, much less discorporate you. You... you are my friend! ”

"Please! It is as a friend that I am asking you this!” he clasped his hands in prayer. “Hell wants the library destroyed, but I know how things work down there! If too many complications occur, they will leave this matter behind until they forget it for good! You’ll help me save something precious for me, for humanity, and you will still be doing your angel work well. Think about it!"

“But… hurt you?” Crawley wrinkled his nose. “I don't like the idea. Not even a little bit!"

“Please!” Azirafell's uneven eyes were large and needy, like those of a puppy.

"Ugh...! All right!"

...................

Azirafell returned to Hell proud of himself.

_My plan is perfect!_ he thought, unable to contain the big smile on his face. When other demons questioned him about such joy, he just replied that he was about to accomplish an important mission and he was sure it would work.

Not only Crawly's powerful resistance would discourage other demons from trying to do something where a Baron of Hell had failed, but it’d also have a very useful side effect: it’d destroy Azirafell's stupid infatuation with the Principality.

If the angel hit him, hit him really _hard_, maybe his stupid demon brain would finally understand that Crawly was an angel. An. Angel! And that a demon shouldn't have inappropriate feelings for him. He should never daydream to run his hands over that red hair, kiss those austere lips, hug that body...

_Hey, hey, focus!_ the demon slapped himself on the head. _I have to prepare for my acting. Yes, it will work! Not only will I be able to save the library, I will finally understand that Crawly is way beyond my reach. Win-win!_

The plan was perfect. There was no possibility of going wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Two demons emerged from the black sand at the port of Alexandria. Baron Azirafell and his footman Erigor walked in the full moonlight toward the city's huge library. The largest knowledge center in the ancient world.

"I'm so glad you allowed me to come with you, Master!" the red-eyed demon smiled, displaying discreet fangs in place of his canine teeth. “I promise I will do my job well! I will burn the whole library, parchment by parchment, until everything turns to ashes! ”

"Err... yes, but only when I give my permission!" warned the blond demon, trying to sound authoritative. “The mission is mine and therefore I must be the first to act!”

“Of course, of course! Your wish is my command! ”

Sneakily, the two approached the large marble building. A pang of anguish formed in the blond demon's chest. _Ok, cool now! Everything is under control!_ he thought, rubbing his hands together. _The plan will work! Crawly will be there, will show all his power, I will fail the mission and, finally, I’ll also stop this ... this foolish admiration I have for the angel!_

Walking more slowly than necessary, Azirafell stood before the library gates. He began to conjure a demonic light in his hands.

"Wouldn't hellfire be more efficient, my lord?" asked Erigor.

“Shut up! I know what I'm doing!” the use of light instead of fire was for obvious reasons. It wouldn’t endanger either the library or Crawly, whose angelic nature could be severely injured in the presence of hellfire. "This is just the beginning!"

The Baron of Hell cast his miracle and made the library doors shine and then open magically. To anyone who had been so sneaky up to that point, it was a flashy move.

But it had the effect Azirafell expected.

From inside the library, a gust of violent air almost unbalanced the two demons. The doors shook even more as a pair of golden wings emerged from the darkness. The redheaded Principality was before them. His wings flapped harder, making another powerful gust of wind nearly lift the demon's black tunics.

With a flick of his fingers the wings disappeared, but the angel's presence was no less imposing. He wore the expression of one who was doing a grudging job, but intended to do as well as possible.

"Bad night to attack my domains, demons!" Crawly growled, his golden eyes sparkling. “Withdraw immediately, or I will be forced to use violence!”

“V-violence?” Azirafell stammered, the angel knew how to be scary when he wanted to. And even though he had been demoted to Principality, it was evident that Crawly still retained some of his enormous power from when he was an Archangel. “Ah, perfect! I really wanted to have fun! ”

"Master, watch out!" Erigor warned. "This angel is dangerous!"

"Never doubt the power of your master, lackey!" the Baron took a stern step forward. “Stand back and witness my victory!”

At this moment, huge owl wings materialized on Azirafell's back. He flew upwards with pomp (purposely catching the eye, if possible even humans) and then swooped down toward the angel.

Crawley gripped his wrists, skidding on the smooth marble until his back hit a pillar. He grunted in pain, and for a moment Azirafell thought he had exaggerated.

“Oh! Are you...? ”

He cannot finish the sentence because the angel butted him in the chest. Azirafell landed on his back, feathers from his wings flying through the air.

“You need more than this to defeat me, demon!” was the Principality's provocation.

"T-then you will have more of this!"

The two got into a wrestling match, the kind of things angels and demons didn't usually do. Usually they just conjured their offensive and defensive spells against each other. Obviously, this kind of thing could seriously hurt these beings not only in their mortal bodies, but in their souls. Really serious injuries. Azirafell and Crawly agreed to just exchange a few punches. At worst, only their mortal bodies would be injured, offering no risk to the other.

"Hellfire, master!" exclaimed Erigor. "Attack the angel with hellfire!"

"Shut up!" the Baron exclaimed back. “I don't need hellfire to— UNNNHHH!!!”

A punch from Crawly fit the height of the demon's spleen. This made him bend over and lose his breath for a moment. He staggered a few steps back and looked up at Crawly. The Principality's expression was one of concern.

"Is it enough?" the redhead whispered.

"No, more ...!" the demon whispered back. He got to his feet again and spoke louder. “Come on, try harder, angel! Your blows only tickle me! ”

“Uh! So... take _this_!”

The attacks came back with more vigor. Azirafell had a more compact body and was technically stronger physically, but his reflexes were slow. Crawly was slimmer and more agile, applying three blows to each demon's attempt to apply one.

Some caught his face, making the blonde's lip bleed, another made his black laurel wreath fly from his head. The demon staggered again.

"Enough?" Crawley murmured softly.

The expression the angel had on his face was one of very, _very_ concern. His golden eyes were full of anguish. It was clear that he wasn't enjoying going on with this farce at all.

_These eyes, so beautiful ... so lovely!_ Azirafell thought, and though he was the one getting the punches, he felt that it was Crawly who needed protection. _No, no! I need to get this stupid feeling out of my head! If only by force!_

"No ...!" the demon spat blood on the floor. "... no ... we’ve barely started, angel!"

This time it was Azirafell who took the initiative and his punch hit Crawly's face for real. The demon frowned, not expecting the Principality to receive the blow, believing he could easily defend himself.

“You…!” Crawly stroked his injured mouth and looked toward the demon, genuine anger in his eyes. "... you bloody idiot!"

A knee in the abdomen almost made Azirafell throw up. His body barely had time to register that blow, for another hit him in the face and then in the chest and then in the face again. The Baron of Hell was being relentlessly attacked at the hands of the Principality.

_Is he mad at me?!_ In the midst of the blows, a thought was trying to form in the demon's rattling head. _Oh yes, that's better! Hit me, Crawly! Break me, hate me! It will be better this way! It will be better for both of us!_

A right hook hit Azirafell's chin, causing him to be unconscious for a few agonizing seconds. When he was able to open his green eye, since the other was too swollen, he could see the angel over him. Crawly knelt down and grabbed him by the collar, making their faces very close.

_It’s now? Will he discorporate me?_ the demon thought, believing this would be the end.

But not. What Azirafell saw with his one eye was not his physical death, but a face upset by both anger and sadness. Tears streamed from the Principality's beautiful golden eyes. He gritted his teeth as his lips trembled.

"You... bloody _fucking idiot_!" he murmured.

As soon as the phrase escaped his lips, a great rumble echoed through the night. An explosive fireball had struck the library entrance.

The responsible was Erigor. It seemed the little demon was sick of waiting.

"Eriiiich ...!" Azirafell tried to scream, but a loose tooth and his bloody mouth only spit him a half word.

“Don't worry, master! I will fulfill your mission in your place!” exclaimed the demon, smiling. "And don't worry, I'm going to avenge your death too!"

A huge ball of infernal fire formed in Erigor's hands. Crawly's eyes widened in terror. He couldn't dodge in time. But he didn't have to.

Azirafell stepped in front of the blow, spreading his wings and shielding the angel from the deadly attack. Though the fires of hell didn't hurt him, the impact made them both fly and roll down the library steps.

In the fall Azirafell's head found a stair step and he collapsed.


	3. Chapter 3

Aziraphale was in Heaven.

He walked under the clear blue sky, his feet touched the ground made of clouds, around him white columns were the pedestals where his angelic siblings kept their vigil. Each of them perched on top, their wings spread, keeping in the same position without ever getting tired. Just waiting for the moment when an order from Her would come and they would act on Her behalf.

Being a Cherub, Aziraphale was tailored to be a guardian, a protector, and in some cases even a killer. He was not an active part during the Lucifer Rebellion, having stayed in Heaven as the first line of defense of the Gates of Heaven. Fortunately the fallen Sammael didn’t go so far, being defeated on the battlefield.

With the rebellion destroyed, Aziraphale was happy to set aside his sword - the short blade with the oval guard resembling a gladius - and intended never to need it again.

It might not have been a good idea, for the next instant he handed his sword, a huge claymore blade pierced him.

"What ...?!" he looked down at his own bloodstained chest, whose tip of the aggressor sword sprang from its flesh like a red flower. And then looked back. "G-Gabriel ...?"

No, it wasn't Gabriel who had impaled him. It was Raphael.

Crawly.

His secret love, wrapped in hellish flames that consumed his flesh until only the bones remained. Crying tears of blood.

_No!!!_

Azirafell woke up in panic. His vision took a while to get used to the sunlight that washed over his face. He was sore, lying on a divan inside a strange house. The demon didn't know how he got there. He didn't even remember what had happened before he passed out.

“Unnhhh… w-where… where am I? What was t—? ” then the memories started to come back. “Oh… the library… the fire! Raphael... no, Crawly! Erigor attacked him! What...? ”

"Azirafell?"

A worried voice called out to him. The red-haired angel had just entered the room and ran to him.

"Azirafell!" he repeated, kneeling beside the demon. "Are you all alright? You was pretty hurt when I brought you here! I tried to use my healing miracles on you, but they don't work so well on demons. I managed to restore your broken bones and the tooth you lost, but you will probably still get some bruising for a few days... ”

"Crawly!" the blonde grabbed the angel by the shoulders and shook him. "And you!? Erigor attacked you with hellfire! Are _you_ all alright?!"

"Sure." he gave a slight smile. "You protected me from the attack, but... well ..."

"What happened?! The library... what happened to it?!”

The angel bowed his head, guiltily. Azirafell didn't need to ask any more, he already had his answer.

“Oh... ohhhh, no! No, no, _no_...!” the demon put his hands to his face, which had greenish purple bruises, and began to cry.

“I'm so sorry!”Crawly wrapped his arms around him and caressed his head gently. “Sorry, I couldn't keep the library from being destroyed. I'm a terrible angel.”

"No!" Azirafell exclaimed, shrugging off the Principality's arms, no matter how good it felt to be hugged. "It was my fault! What a bloody stupid plan of mine!”

“No, your plan was great! It was all going well until I… I got out of hand.” Crawly looked away. “I just fucked up everything! If I had been more focused I’d have noticed when your footman was going to attack the library and I’d have avoided that. And I just stood in front of the hellfire and you have to protect me, and… and… well, and then your footman realized it was all a plan.”

"What? Does Erigor know everything?! ”

"Well, I ..." the angel scratched his head. “Sorry to say that, but I needed to destroy your footman. I mean, right after we rolled the stairs and you hit your head he started screaming ‘Traitor! Traitor! You protected an angel! ’And so I had no choice but to fight him to keep him from reporting you. And then I... destroyed him. But by this time the fire had spread throughout the library and I could do nothing. ”

"Oh...!"

"I'm sorry."

"It’s... it’s okay... in the case of Erigor." Azirafell sighed. He believed that the little red-eyed demon was his faithful servant and that he could count on him to support a lie, but no. He had no friends in Hell. “I… I have to apologize, actually. Thanks to my servant, the library burned and you failed your mission.”

“Well, after I helped you and hid you here at my house, Uriel came to talk to me. She knew about the destroyed demon and my initial fight with you. She said I was... a hard worker. And though the library had burned down, they weren't mad at me. She said that it was Gabriel's mistake to send only one Principality angel to fight a Baron of Hell and his footman. They have forgiven me. ”

"Less bad." Azirafell sighed. "But the library, it... uh!"

Saying nothing, Crawly hugged the demon again. Azirafell cried again and the angel tried to comfort him as best he could.

_This shouldn’t have happened!_ the blonde thought, though he was not just referring to the library. It also referred to his affection for the angel that, after all that had happened, he felt that it had grown dangerously larger. His plan had gone wrong twice. _I am too soft!_

...........................

“Congratulations, Baron of Hell, Azirafell!” Beelzebud clapped her hands as the demons around her screamed with satisfaction. “What a memorable job! The library burned to the last scroll! And to top it off, you defeated a former archangel! Kudos for you! ”

"Thank you." the demon forced himself to smile. "But Erigor was lamentably destroyed in the process."

“Ah, not important! Minions are meant to be disposable!” she laughed. “Anyway, you deserve a new promotion! I name you Viscount of Hell! Your fief will receive a magnification!”

"Thank you, my lady, but I... I would like to order something else."

"And what would it be, Viscount?"

"Instead of expanding my fiefdom into Hell, can I get permission to have a piece of land on Earth?"

“Hmmm? On Earth?” the duchess scowled. "For what?"

“Well, I would like to be closer to humans for… to better tempt them! To corrupt them more easily. And for that, I would like to have a territory in the land of mortals. If only I had a mortal land of mine, only under my jurisdiction and nobody else's... ”

“Oh, well, it can be done. But I fear that we cannot give you the privilege of land in the great human cities, such as Rome, Qatar, and Baghdad. These are neutral areas between Heaven and Hell.”

“Don't worry, it could be a piece of land in the middle of a small settlement. I just wanna make sure it's mine. And no one will bother me there. ”

..................

In the northern Roman Empire was a large island inhabited by savage barbarians. Its name was _Britannia_, a place that became the focus of great disputes between the Romans and the Celtic people. Among their small towns was _Londinium_, intersected by the _Tamessa_ River. It had no more than a thousand inhabitants and was considered uninteresting ground by both Heaven and Hell.

Azirafell loved the place right away. There were the drawbacks of the battles that humans fought in the vicinity, but nothing he couldn't beware of. The demon decided to build a house under a hill, in the manner of the _Brythoniaid_ of the Neolithic period. If you looked outside, you would believe it was a tomb, like the enigmatic _Bryn Celli Ddu_, west of the island. No one is interested in attacking tombs, so it was the perfect hiding place for the demon to keep its precious treasures.

Inside, he began stocking all the literary material he had stored in his mansion in Hell. It would be safer to keep everything there. And, as a precaution, he decided to cast a hellish miracle to prevent his home from burning under any circumstances.

It still hurt to remember the old library on fire, but he had something: in his hands were five scrolls that he had borrowed from it and had no time to return. The only thing left of the once imposing Library of Alexandria.

"I promise I'll take good care of you." he whispered to the papyri, smiling. "I promise I'll do my best from now on."

Viscount of Hell, Azirarfell, now had permanent territory on Earth. And he swore he would turn that place into a safe haven for human literature. The new big goal of your existence. And he swore he would face anyone who dared to destroy a single book - whether human, angel, or demon.


End file.
